API design tips that every developer must follow

In today’s interconnected software world, APIs act as the bridge between systems, services, and users. Whether you’re building a simple CRUD backend or a full-scale microservice ecosystem, designing an intuitive and robust REST API is a skill every developer should master.

Poorly designed APIs lead to confusion, bugs, security issues, and a frustrating developer experience. On the other hand, a clean, well-structured API can make your app easier to maintain, scale, and integrate with.

This article covers essential API design tips that every developer—whether backend, frontend, or full-stack—should follow to ensure their APIs are predictable, scalable, and secure. These practices will not only improve your codebase but also make life easier for other developers who interact with your API, including future-you.

Let’s dive in! 👇

1: Use Proper HTTP Methods (for REST APIs)

Use propper methods/http acronym for the apis as follows.

S. no	Method	Use
1.	GET	Read
2.	POST	Create
3.	PUT	Update whole data/row
4.	PATCH	update partial data like only avatar of user profile
5.	DELETE	Remove

2: Version Your API

Always include a version in the URL or headers:

GET : /api/v1/users

3: Use Standard HTTP Status Codes

201 Created – Resource created
400 Bad Request – Validation failed
401 Unauthorized – No access
403 Forbidden – Exist but you do not have access
404 Not Found – Resource not found
500 Internal Server Error – Something broke

4: Keep URLs Resource-Oriented

Bad: /getUserDetails?id=123

Good: /users/123

5: Be Consistent and and use plurals nouns, Not Verbs in Endpoints

Stick to naming conventions (e.g., camelCase or snake_case).
Use predictable URL structures:

GET /users/:id

POST /users

PUT /users/:id

DELETE /users/:id

6: Nested Resources for Relationships

GET /users/123/orders: means get orders of user that has id 123
POST /users/123/orders: means save order of user that has id 123

7: Design Clear, Concise Responses

Return useful data and messages.
Include status, message, and data fields for consistency.

{
  "status": "success",
  "message": "User fetched successfully",
  "data": {
    "id": 123,
    "name": "Farzan"
  }
}

8: Use Query Parameters for Filtering, Sorting, Pagination

GET /products?category=shoes&sort=price_asc&page=2&limit=20

Above url means: get products which has category = shoes, sort by price ascending, of page 2, limit the result by 20 items

9: Secure Your API

Use authentication (JWT, OAuth, API keys).
Rate-limit requests.
Validate all inputs on both client and server sides.

10: Paginate Large Responses

Avoid returning 1000s of records at once.
Use pagination (page, limit) or cursor-based pagination.
Ex. GET /users?page=2&limit=20

11: Rate Limiting & Throttling

It’s best practice to protect your API from abuse by limiting requests per minute/user/IP. When a user try to hit your api multiple times (eg. A brutforce attack) it will get blocked by the application.

12: support multiple content type (if needed) by using headers

Accept: application/json
Accept: application/xml

FARZAN